Wonder

Our mission
Letter from the editor
λ ο γ ο ς is Greek for “word.” The disciple John used logos as an epithet for Jesus,
invoking language as an image of incarnation, the Word made flesh. In Christianity,
Logos became personal. Because Christ clothed himself in flesh, he became a
life giving light to us, revealing the truth of all things. The Yale Logos takes on this
name because our mission is also personal and incarnational. We believe that by
loving Christ and our fellow learners passionately, with our whole heart, soul, and
minds, we align ourselves with Yale’s pursuit of truth and light.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Logos receives funding from the Yale University Undergraduate Organizations Funding Committee
and from Christian Union Lux. The Logos team gratefully acknowledges the support of
the Elm Institute and the coaches and members of the
Augustine Collective.
We invite you to get to know our wonderful staff here:
https://www.yalelogos.com/who-we-are.
DESIGN
Photograph credits: https://tinyurl.com/LogosWonderImages. Photograph editing is original work
by Logos staff. Wonder Design Task Force: Jadan Anderson, Daniel Chabeda, Jason Lee, Serena
Puang, Raquel Sequeira, Josephine Shin, Ashley Talton, Bradley Yam. Layout design by
Bella Gamboa.
A READING
Enjoy a reading of the final piece, “What Is Wonder” by Kayla Bartsch, here:
https://tinyurl.com/LogosWonderPoem.
Dear Reader,
The issue you have before you is in many ways a product of wonder. Conceived in a much different
world, its ideas grew and evolved through the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic,
an exodus from our communities, and a long summer of uncertainty about the future. Wonder
is our answer to the crisis.
Wonder expresses a commitment to intellectual inquiry, getting to the bones of a thing. It is the
central spirit of an institution of learning and an indispensable quality for any thinker. To wonder
is to remain true to John Ames' advice in Marilynne Robinson's Gilead: "The Lord gave you
a mind so that you would make honest use of it. I’m saying you must be sure that the doubts
and questions are your own, not, so to speak, the mustache and walking stick that happen to be
the fashion of any particular moment." Wonder teaches us to think for ourselves.
Wonder is also a sentiment of awe, optimism and hopefulness. It calls to us from a better and
more beautiful world and dares us to bring that world into existence. Without it, Shakespeare
might never have put pen to paper, or Galileo, his eye to a telescope. In its best form, wonder
motivates us to act on our curiosities.
These are two modes of wonder which the staff of Logos hope to pursue, and are inviting you,
dear reader, to participate in as you ponder the ideas raised in this issue. I am proud of the
efforts of everyone on the staff of Logos that have made this issue possible even in the most
tumultuous times of our lives.
Christian scriptures teach us that the world and everything in it was originally made good,
and beautiful, and worthy of consideration. They are each small clues of their creator. John
Muir believed this about nature as he reflected on the valleys and crests of Yosemite. Christian
scriptures also teach that what was once good is now broken, but not irreparably. Wonder is
an attempt to resist the temptation to fixate on the fractures in our world, and the biological
diseases that reveal the diseases in the human soul. Instead, we want to remind you to pause for
a moment, consider the lilies of the field, the birds of the air, and your own belovedness.
Truth and Love,
ONLINE
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SUMBISSIONS & INQUIRIES
yale.logos@gmail.com
Bradley Yam
Editor-in-Chief
2 . Wonder: Summer 2020 logos . 3